Stop Living The Lie
by Vycksta
Summary: Moe is attracted to Mitzi and the feeling is mutual, yet Pecan is doing all that she can to keep the two from confessing their love. Looks like it is down to one of Tiffield's human residents to try and sort things out for good.


**Title**: Stop Living The Lie  
**Fandom**: Animal Crossing  
**Ship**: Myewshipping (( Moe x Mitzi ))  
**Rating**: It's T simply to stop people bitching over one of my OC's swearing fits.

**Authors Notes**: Firstly, I want to state my shock at this cracking the 10,000 word mark. The words were just flowing and before I knew it wham! I cracked that elusive number. I guess it was going to happen one day as I do like to write a lot of description. -sweatdrop-

Secondly, I can honestly say that since publishing my last Animal Crossing one-shot... Special Letter, way back in January... my shipping tastes in this fandom have definitely changed a lot. Lovelyshipping is not my OTP anymore as I prefer Rosie with Kid Cat and Monique I don't like at all now, I seem to prefer more het ships than yuri ones... shocker for me I know... and the ship that this one-shot is about is now my all time Animal Crossing OTP. Somewhat canon in my town too, those two are always with each other!

Stop Living The Lie is a plotbunny I have had for a very long time... probably about seven months or so... that came into my corral when for the first time in years I heard the song of the same name, by a little known Scottish singer called David Sneddon. If you were to Google up the lyrics you can see that the song was the inspiration alright, as things happen in it that mirror certain lines. So thanks David.

I am keeping my fingers crossed that the length of this isn't enough to put people off, as I am happy with how this turned out. All reviews are much love, constructive criticism is greatly accepted and most importantly, I hope all those who do read it like it ha ha.

Oh yes, I would like to say that I do NOT have anything at all against Pecan. It's just that in my town she has a deep hatred for Mitzi and thinks Moe is a moron and so because of that she was the ideal candidate to be the "villain". -sweet smile-

---

It was absolutely breathtaking to behold.

The leaves on the trees were starting to transform from a green as bright and as vibrant as the most sunkissed meadow into one of a darker shade, tinged with the blues that you would find in the deepest parts of the biggest oceans. The ground had developed its colour as well, into a more earthier brown that seemed to have been blessed by the faeries of the land. Every so often the sky that was coloured in the brightest of cyans and littered with clouds that had an appearance like they had just been crafted from a cotton candy maker would be dotted with butterflies of all colours and sizes, dancing their merry waltzes for anyone who was interested enough to watch before sipping the richest nectar from the flowers on display. Then their dancing would start again, a dancing to show that they were happy to witness this change in the world.

The day was September 16 and autumn had finally made its mark on the quiescent, nature personified town of Tiffield, transforming it instantly into something that must be witnessed by the naked eye... something that you would regret should you choose not to see it.

As one of the leaves atop of the trees decided to break away from its captive and elegantly fall down to the ground in an array of acrobatic pirouettes and twists, two humans were surveying the alternation to nature with a pair of content expressions adorned upon their faces. Both of them, female and appearing to be in their late teenage years, were tending to the ever-growing bed of orange cosmos flowers when autumn made its entrance and in that instant the flower tending stopped and the scenes were observed. When another leaf decided to follow its friend into gracefully falling to the earth below, one of the young women, dressed in a black and white erratically striped top with a matching parasol to protect herself from the heat, turned to face her friend, blinking her sky blue eyes and flicking back one of her snow coloured pigtails in the process.

"Say Vycksta, is autumn like this in Tiffield every year?"

The friend that the white haired girl spoke to finished watering another set of wilted cosmos before looking up, hazel brown eyes meeting those of the sky blue. With a light sigh she readjusted the hockey mask that was covering her face and folded her arms.

"Michelle you bloody dork, I have been in Tiffield for nine months... this is the first autumn for me as well as for you." came the slightly irritated response.

"Oh... yeah! Ha ha, I had forgotten all about that! How silly of me!"

With another sigh, Vycksta ignored Michelle's last comment and turned her attention back onto the sunset colored flowers that were heavily peppered along the ground. Wiping some of the dirt from her hands onto her often worn magenta and black striped long sleeved shirt and removing the witches hat from her head so the rays of the sun can catch her light pink coloured hair that was separated into three bunches, Vycksta suddenly felt a little uneasy and wondered if Michelle was alright. The first resident to Tiffield then casted her gaze upon her friend, who was now staring at the tree that was losing its leaves with a slightly downcast expression upon her face, twirling her parasol nonchalantly.

"Look, if you're pissed off cause I called you a dork then..."

"Why must we all stand to lose something in life?"

"Where the fuck did that come from?" Vycksta questioned sharply, causing Michelle to turn around and face her housemate and closest human friend.

"Think about it..." Michelle stated calmly, folding her parasol away and putting it into her pocket. "In order to get somewhere in life, something has to give away along the journey. Take all of this for example..." she sighed, spreading her arms out to show that she is going to refer to the change in the scenery. "To get to this stage, leaves on trees have to be lost and in time day will lose out a little bit more to night with each passing sunrise... it really is a give and take world."

The expression on Vycksta's face was enough for Michelle to stop her mini philosophical lecture and sigh inwardly, looking back up at the tree and gently placing her hands on it. Vycksta merely rolled her eyes and set back to the flowers, wondering if she was the only one in the town that cared about watering them each day. But then the human who has been living in Tiffield the longest started to wonder something else... about a situation that she was the only one who knew a fair deal about it. It involved two of her bestest animal friends, one of whom who had developed a certain feeling towards the other but was extremely shy to act up upon it. If everything was going to go to plan today was going to be the day that everything was out in the open, to mark the first day of autumn with an explosive bang... so while Michelle kept watching the leaves dance their foxtrots from the trees, Vycksta tightly kept her fingers crossed for her two companions.

"Hope everything goes well for you both, Moe and Mitzi." she whispered so it wouldn't be heard by Michelle... and as those words were whispered, one of the two mentioned animals was contemplating heavily on their lonesome.

Moe, a cat whose body is coloured in stripes of two blues of very different shades, was sitting on his own at The Roost, a small, old town style cafe situated in the lower floor of Tiffield's extensive museum. Slowly dragging a paw along the top of the heavily polished table he was sitting at, he let out a quiet, yet very deep sigh that conjured up a tear from the corner of his eye. This small drop of water made its escape, making a trail down Moe's left cheek and falling off the bottom of his chin, landing without a sound into the cup of sweet scented coffee below. With a blink of his doe like marigold coloured eyes, Moe glanced down at the cup of liquid.

"Mmmm... seems i'm filling this up as fast as I can drink it, myawn." he ushered quietly, feeling another tear glide down his face and into the vanilla smelling liquid. He wasn't sure how many tears that was now, but Moe decided mentally that it must have been enough for him to drown in as all he had been doing since arriving at The Roost was cry to himself.

Rubbing his tear stained eyes with the back of his paws, Moe readied himself to take a sip of coffee to try and calm his nerves when he saw a shadow loom above him and growing closer and closer at an exceedingly quick rate. The young feline could feel his heartbeat quicken and his breathing going slightly more erratic upon the fear of this unknown shadow now looming directly over his head...

"What a waste of coffee. You should know by now that it's always best to drink it piping hot."

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAA..." the cat screamed melodramatically before turning around and noticing who it was who had spoken. "Oh, it's you Brewster! Phew, myawn! You gave me a fright there, myawn."

The middle aged pigeon raised an eyebrow upon Moe's irregular acting and then looked at the coffee, which was now starting to develop a skin on the top from it being untouched with tears for a while. Carefully wiping a cup that the bird had in his wing with the towel that was clenched in the other he was about to scold the cat further for wasting such a brilliant hot drink but then he noticed how distraught Moe looked, who was now back to staring at the cup to disguise another cascading tear. At that moment in time the pigeon had a change of heart and uncharacteristically let off a small smile.

"If you want to talk young feline, i'll be over at the bar." came Brewster's equally out-of-character kind words.

"Thanks, myawn..." Moe began, eyes still staring at the cup of coffee like his life depended on it. "But i'd rather not talk about this one... i'm still confused about it myself, myawn."

"If you insist." Brewster said patiently before heading back to his bar to clean more used and empty coffee cups.

Moe looked slightly to his left to watch Brewster return back to his place behind the bar of The Roost before going back to what he was doing beforehand; letting the tears run freely down his face and into the coffee below. He couldn't believe that he could feel so low just a mere three hours after feeling so high, as high as a balloon in the sky carrying a present of unknown quantity over Tiffield...

This whole drama started a fair few months ago. Late February he believed, when a young female cat by the name of Mitzi moved into Tiffield, right next to Monique, another feline who despised Moe with every fibre of her being. Mitzi and Monique soon became firm friends and it left Moe distraught as he felt that he'd never be able to strike up a conversation with her, but Mitzi's gentle personality meant that even though she became friends with someone he considered a jerk and a bully the two also got on brilliantly and found out that they had two common interests; gardening and enjoying a hot cup of cream tea in the evenings.

As the weeks developed Moe found himself waking up in the mornings eager to see Mitzi around the town and have a quick natter about what they were going to get up to... even if the conversation was only about how the Able sisters had stocked the same shirt for the third day running. Then one evening in the middle of March as the two watched the sunset together Moe felt a light fluttering in his chest and his cheeks flush a very light shade of scarlet... it was at that point that he realized that he had a crush on Mitzi.

The lazy feline kept these feelings bottled up to himself for fear of rejection and ridicule until a brilliant sunshine filled July day coincided with one of the Bug Off competitions that Tiffield's mayor, the pensioner tortoise Tortimer, hosted every month throughout the summer and the autumn. As animals flailed their nets to the maximum Moe's eagerness to win got the better of him and while swinging his net profusely he actually caught Mitzi's shoulder, who cried in pain at the sensation. Moe apologized constantly and Mitzi soon forgave him... but as she walked off to try and nab herself a dragonfly Moe sighed to himself.

"I'll never be able to win her heart, myawn..." he spoke quietly, but loud enough for Vycksta, then Tiffield's only human resident, to overhear... something he twigged onto straight away when he turned around and saw her with her arms folded giving off that knowing look that she has always harboured so well.

That night as the quirky chipmunk Agent S celebrated her win in the Bug Off, Moe found himself at The Roost with Vycksta, telling her about how he first felt the feeling known as attraction towards Mitzi and how whenever the two met up his heart would skip a beat and that time would pass so quickly he cause him great emotional upset when it ended. Yet as he was finally spilling his heart out to the human, a pair of small brown ears was also listening intently to what was being said, a maniacal grin appearing on the face of this unknown third party.

"Well well well, chipmunk... looks like i'm pretty much set up for life here..." Pecan the chipmunk cackled to herself.

As August bestowed itself upon Tiffield with more delightful sunshine and clear, pristine blue skies, Vycksta kept asking Moe when he was going to ask Mitzi if she would be his girlfriend, as the human saw Mitzi as her best friend and decided that the two cats would be a brilliant couple for unknown-to-others reasons and Moe would insist to the teenager that tonight would "be the night, myawn"... yet every time he mustered up the courage Pecan would be there to smack his confidence down, telling him that she would make his life a misery if he asked Mitzi out. The snooty chipmunk still made things horrible for Moe anyway as she absolutely detested Mitzi and would do anything to deter any chance of happiness that may come to the female feline's way.

This was how it continued until the night before the first day of autumn, when K.K. Slider visited The Roost to host another of his live concerts that frequented every Saturday.

Vycksta, now highly annoyed that Moe still hadn't acted up on his attraction towards Mitzi, jokingly threatened him that if he didn't ask Mitzi out tomorrow she would do it himself and Moe, who wanted the rest of Tiffield to know from his say so and not from the words of someone else, said that this time he would ask her out and made a heartfelt promise to Vycksta on that. Yet just like that day back in July, Pecan overheard the whole conversation and the next morning as Moe left his house with confidence in tow ready to ask Mitzi to be his beloved, Pecan was there, leaning against one of the cherry trees outside his house with a deranged grin upon her heavily made-up face.

"What do you want, myawn?" Moe asked with concern, trying not to sound scared as the chipmunk enjoyed it when the cat was intimidated by her presence.

"Just thought i'd let you know that I asked Mitzi out for you today, chipmunk..." the other animal replied coolly.

"But how did you..."

"SHUT UP, YOU FREAK!" Pecan hollered, causing Moe to jump back in complete fear, which made the hazel coloured chipmunk grin even more. "So yeah, chipmunk. I asked Mitzi out for you as my way of saying sorry for being a bully towards you and she was that mortified she ran inside her house to throw up. Then she told Rosie, who visited her... and you know that Rosie is a little furball of gossip. Now everyone in Tiffield knows and they all think that you are a stupid moron for thinking you had a chance. Hey, it must suck to be you."

The tone of voice in which Pecan spilled out her lie convinced Moe that she was actually telling the truth, for he knew that while Pecan had been horrible towards him she was always honest in what she said, no matter how harsh it was. The two-tone cat blinked away a tear and clenched his paws together, trying not to let Pecan see how distraught he really was.

"So there really is no hope for me, myawn?"

"None at all, chipmunk... none at all... and you know what I would do? I would hide in that grotty old Cafe all day so if anyone came to my house I would not be in. Being rejected is one embarrassing thing; don't let anybody see how pathetic you look, huh, chipmunk?"

With those words said Moe ran as fast as his little legs could carry him, ignoring the wayward cackling that Pecan was emitting from her mouth... and that was three hours ago and he still hadn't removed himself from The Roost, the ever increasing fear of never even being liked as a friend by Mitzi again gripping over his mind and tumbling his emotions into overdrive.

"Why is life such a rotten thing towards me, myawn?" the feline found himself crying out into The Roost and startling Brewster from his daydream before letting the tears freely flow, putting his head into his paws to try and muffle the sobbing.

Little did he know that a fairly short distance away, someone else was also hollering out those words for the world to hear...

Legs coloured a creamy white hue were dipped elegantly into the calming waters of the sea, which every so often flapped up further up the limbs and nearly into the polka dotted dress that the animal was wearing. Eyes of the glistening steel blue stared nonchalantly beyond the deep waters of the ocean as tail of the same colour save for two bands of a cyan blue near the top waved lifelessly side to side. Mitzi let out a sigh as she let the view adorn her vision for a few more moments before realizing the horror that what she said just a couple of minutes ago was spoken very loudly and sharply turned her head around to see if anyone was nearby and who may have heard it.

Unfortunately for poor Mitzi, her words were overheard by the slate grey mouse Samson and the sandy brown horse Buck, who looked at the feline as if she was a bowling ball short of an alley... they had just moved into Tiffield that week and were still getting the bearings of the town. Mitzi was about to apologize to the two animals for her outburst... she hasn't still spoken to them and didn't want them to think that she was a total fruitloop... yet in that same moment both Samson and Buck shrugged mutually before heading off in the direction of Angus's house and were very soon out of Mitzi's vision.

"Oooh... this is so horrible, mew." the cream coloured cat cried to herself before burying her head in her paws to nurse her increasingly damaged pride... a pride that has been slowly diminishing since a lovely, warm day in July. A pride that also carried her confidence and with that also being drained from her, Mitzi started to feel that she was dying inside as her emotions were being scattered in all sorts of horrible directions.

A few minutes had passed and Mitzi started to wonder if what had happened was all her fault, simply because she was a kind and caring individual who could often be taken advantage of. She started thinking of a few instances in which she tried to be as helpful as she could to other residents but got nothing but a snide remark or blatant ignorance in return and those instances in her mind made her certain that yes, she was actually the one and fault and yes, maybe everyone in Tiffield would be better off without her. With a saddened determination to leave the town within the next couple of days now adorning her depressed mind, Mitzi got up from her spot on the beach and started to set back towards her house... yet something, or rather someone, was standing in her way.

"Hey Mitzi!" Vycksta boomed loudly. "Isn't autumn a great season?" she questioned happily, kicking a few fallen leaves that were near to the pair of them.

"Oh, hello Demoness..." Mitzi replied half-heartedly, wondering if she'll ever know the reason as to why Vycksta insisted on having such a Satanic nickname. She was just about to ask why but Vycksta had instantly picked up on Mitzi's low, upset tone of voice.

"Okay Mitzi, something's up..."

"No, no Demoness, i'm fine really, mew. I was just..."

"About to get some tissues to help quit crying, by the looks of your eyes." the human interrupted, noting how much Mitzi's eyes were glistening in the autumn light. "Well here isn't exactly a good place to talk about it, so why don't you go home, freshen yourself up and come over for a cup of tea at my house? I will not take no for an answer!"

Mitzi sighed a little; she really didn't want to be in the presence of others yet at the same time she knew that she couldn't argue with Vycksta because her stubbornness was something that could never be beaten.

"Okay Demoness. I'll be at your house in half an hour, mew."

"WHOOT! Don't be late now otherwise Michelle will drink the tea instead!" Vycksta hollered again before realizing something. "Oh yeah, on your way up feel free to admire how fucking lovely the orange cosmos are looking!" she cried, turning on her heels and racing off into the distance, leaving Mitzi standing there dumbfounded yet also in contemplation. Could she actually be saved from her emotional nightmare and if so, was her saviour the teenager who had just ran off in the direction of her house?

Thirty minutes had passed since Mitzi and Vycksta's natter and the cat now found herself standing outside the front door of the human's house, which up until a month ago Vycksta lived in on her own. Making sure that her face wasn't stained with any fresh tears Mitzi let out a light cough then knocked on the door, hoping that she was heard straight away. Her little wish came true as the door was opened within a few seconds and there standing in between Mitzi and the main room of the house was another girl who appeared in her late teenage years also. This one was dressed in a red shirt that had a large ebony coloured M in the center and in her auburn coloured bob a scarlet coloured ribbon was clipped upon the right hand side.

"Hi there Courtney." Mitzi said with a slight courtesy, "Vycksta is expecting me, mew."

The young woman mused for a few seconds pretending as if she wasn't told by her housemate about this visit but she soon smiled... a smile that only Mitzi ever saw, for Courtney has a reputation for being a very spiteful and hateful person who got her kicks from bashing animals with her net and setting pitfall seed traps for them to fall in.

"Yeah, I know all about it... come on in, i'll let the Demoness know you've arrived."

Courtney backed away from Mitzi and set off to the back room to find Vycksta while the feline walked into the extensive living room and shut the door. A quick glance around... followed by an equally quick admiration of how gloriously decorated the room was, with cabin themed furniture in every corner... and Mitzi took to sitting down on the couch, paws in her lap out of part nervousness, part distress from the event that happened to her earlier in the day. After a few moments Mitzi started to listen in on the surroundings while she waited for Vycksta. She could hear Courtney as clear as a bell yelling at Vycksta that she has "no clue where the fucking milk is" before storming out of the back room and into the great outdoors with her battered net in tow... and she could also make out what seemed to be a pretty heated argument between Michelle and the only male of the house, Volkner, over what sounded like where the female's latest Gracie design was. Mitzi felt herself blush a little at what she was hearing but that soon ceased when Vycksta herself emerged from the back room with two steaming hot cups of tea on a slightly stained tray.

"Geez, how the fuck was I supposed to know that the milk wasn't going to be in the fridge, the USUAL place? I was out tending to the damn flowers! Oh sometimes I wonder what it'll be like if I never put that advertisement in the local paper asking for some housemates..." Vycksta stopped the middle of her rant as she remembered why she called Mitzi over, feeling a little embarrassed at letting out the steam in the wrong place at the wrong time as usual. "Sorry there Mitzi-mew, you know what i'm like."

"It's okay, Demoness," Mitzi reassured, smiling warmly as she accepted the cup of tea from Vycksta. "Remember, I told you that if anyone gave you problems then you must come to me, mew."

"Not today though..." Vycksta was quick to retort, taking off her hockey mask and chugging down a few gulps of tea before joining Mitzi on the couch, snuggling into the back cushions. "After all, I invited you over cause you seem to be upset over something..."

"Ah yes, mew!" the feline remembered, also reminiscing the thought she had earlier about whether if the human she was having a conversation with could be the one to hit the nail on the head. "It's going to be kinda lengthy though as I have only ever told Monique about this and well, mew, she moved out the other day without so much as a goodbye..."

The human with the three pink pigtails looked at her animal friend with deep concern as she watched a small tear trickle down Mitzi's face and along one of her fine whiskers before flicking off and falling onto the wooden floor below. Bang went Vycksta's original theory with that fallen drop of water; she thought that the reason why Mitzi was so depressed was because of her best friend moving away to achieve her dreams "someplace else". However a new thought crept into her mind and while she wanted to be her usual blunt self and blurt it out, Vycksta thought it best to hear it from Mitzi... just in case there was that small chance that she was wrong.

"You know..." the human said comfortingly, placing her hand on Mitzi's shoulder. "You don't have to tell me if you don't want to."

"No, Demoness..." Mitzi replied with equal comfort, putting her own paw on top of Vycksta's hand. "I think it's time someone else knew. Monique isn't here now and you've been there for me since the day I moved here to Tiffield... it is only right, mew." she finished, giving off another warm smile even though deep down she was a little nervous about telling the story she is about to tell.

"Okay, fine. As long as you're... OH FOR FUCKS SAKE WILL YOU TWO STOP FUCKING BICKERING LIKE FUCKING BRATS?"

Mitzi gazed a little worryingly at Vycksta, who had just screamed at the ceiling as an attempt to stop the ever increasing argument between Michelle and Volkner, an argument that stopped as soon as the hollering ceased. "Swearing is not a nice thing, Vycksta, mew. Must you and Courtney must speak so horribly at times?"

"Hey, it shut them up didn't it?" the human shrugged off Mitzi's concerned comment. "Besides, i'm not here to listen to how you detest mine and Courtney's cussing... i'm here for you and your problem."

"True... but Demoness, it's such a long story. Are you sure you want to hear it from the beginning? I'm afraid I might bore you and I don't want to waste much of your time..."

"You can never waste my time, Mitzi-mew." Vycksta replied with a cheesy grin, leaning further back against the chair taking another few swigs of the now nearly chilled tea. "It's what friends are all about. Now come on girl, spill the beans!"

Mitzi smiled a little cautiously, still a small part afraid of how Vycksta will react once what she has to say is all out in the open. However she again thought back to that little instance at the beach about an hour ago and clenched her paw with some determination... this was it. Placing her cup of tea gently on the floor, Mitzi took a small breath and began her tale.

"I guess it really began about three weeks after I moved to Tiffield, mew. Even though I became best friends with Monique she hated Moe so much and kept calling him a silly jerk, mew. It upset me as I thought that myself and Moe would never be great companions but then one lovely morning while I was out gardening and planting new flowers Monique made some comment about how she'll let her hatred of Moe slide "in the name of love". Of course at that point in time I was a little confused as to what exactly she meant... hey, Demoness, are you alright, mew?"

The ivory and slate feline stopped her explanation and looked with some great concern at Vycksta, who had just spluttered out her tea upon hearing one of Mitzi's sentences. Of course the young cat had no clue as to why Vycksta did that spontaneous action but she didn't want to ask why just in case she was told something in reply that would make her feel silly for being concerned in the first place. Mitzi didn't have to worry long anyway as Vycksta regained her composure, sitting up more so her feet were now on the floor.

"Yeah, i'm fine Mitzi, carry on."

"Are you sure, mew?"

"Yes dammit!"

"Okay..." Mitzi said slightly worried before continuing. "So for ages I was wondering what Monique meant with that comment and every time I asked her she would either change the subject or gave me this look that gave me the impression that I myself should know what she was referring to, mew. During this time of my asking Monique myself and Moe were getting on better than ever and there was a couple of instances where we would stare into each others eyes nonchalantly and as soon as we realized what we were doing, look away all embarrassed, mew. Yet it wasn't until July's Bug Off that I finally knew that Monique meant, mew."

"The Bug Off that Agent S won, yeah?"

"Yes, Demoness, mew." the feline nodded to Vycksta's question, even though the human knew that already. "I was trying my best to catch a dragonfly and in the midst of it all someone whacked me on the shoulder, mew! I turned around and it was Moe... he was all shocked and shy and kept saying sorry and it was at that very point while I was blushing that Monique was right. She did make friends with Moe "in the name of love" for she knew that I was starting to get a crush on him from an early age, a crush that took me a while to realise, mew..."

At that moment in time Mitzi's one-way conversation was disturbed as Vycksta dropped her cup of tea on the floor, sending small pieces of debris scattered along the wood and over the deep scarlet coloured rug. Straightaway Vycksta leapt from the couch and headed to the back room to get a dustpan and brush and some tissues, swearing like a trashcan.

"Fuck shit crap bollocks minge! Fuck fuck fuckidy fuck fuck!" was the torrent of abuse coming from the late teenager.

"Do you want some help, Demoness, mew?" Mitzi politely questioned, trying her best to ignore the flurry of crude words.

Vycksta soon emerged with all the cleaning equipment needed to tidy up the mess that she created, which unbeknown to Mitzi was down to the human realizing that what she was thinking before Mitzi started explaining was correct down to the very last detail. "No Mitzi-mew, you're fine there..." Vycksta spoke a lot calmer than from a minute ago as she started to sweep up the scattered debris that the teacup caused. "Carry on with that you were saying... unless that was it; that you have a crush on Moe."

"Oh no, there's a little bit more..." Mitzi replied as she set about continuing her story. "So that night I ended up telling Monique that she was right and that I was attracted to Moe and she wanted me to try and not be so shy and talk to him and tell him my feelings... yet whenever I did manage to get the confidence, I was told by some horrible animal that there was no way that he would be interested in me and chipped at my confidence till it was no more and I would go home crying. I didn't tell Monique who she was for she was also great friends with her and thought that she would be upset... and she never will know now, mew."

Another little sigh escaped Mitzi's lips as she went to tell the last part of her tale while Vycksta dabbed up what excess fluid she could with the tissues. "Before Monique left she told me one thing; that I must tell Moe how I feel by the end of the first day of autumn, because she read in Ms. Nintendque that couples who first get together in that season end up having better relationships... or something like that, mew. So today came and as I got up I really, really was determined to tell Moe that I liked him a lot... yet when I walked out of my front door she was there, smirking as usual. She said that she was sorry for being a jerk and asked Moe out for me, yet he was that repulsed he ran off to scream or get depressed or something... and then she said that because of that everyone else knew and they were all shocked and horrified at it too, mew. Oh, Demoness... what am I to do?"

Vycksta by now had finished the cleaning and was sitting back on the couch with her arms around Mitzi in a protective embrace. For now all the pink haired teenager could do was offer a Mitzi a shoulder to cry on... a shoulder that was now starting to get soaked with tears as the feline was crying her heart out... while she got her head around things. So Mitzi liked Moe as much as he fancied her, that much she guessed before Mitzi went into story telling mode... yet who was this "horrible animal" that was trying to keep them apart no matter what the cost? Brain was sent into overdrive...

There was a day that Vycksta could recall well, it was a week after a young rebellious self-called Hellion by the name of Courtney had moved in with herself and Volkner at their house in Tiffield, after Vycksta decided to rent her mansion out to three other people. She could remember Courtney coming into the house at midnight laughing her head off cause she heard Moe being verbally abused to "not bother doing it for she will hurt you in the end." At the time Vycksta just dismissed it... one because Courtney merely searched for trouble and two because she was too tired to really care... but now it made sense.

Those sly looks she would sometimes give Vycksta in the morning when she was watering the sixty-strong grove of orange pansies, the offhand comment she once said in the evening about how love is never meant to be... this was all coming together like the final few pieces of the jigsaw and now all Vycksta desired was the name of this animal to confirm matters...

"It's Pecan who was stirring things up, wasn't it Mitzi? Don't lie to me because I know how much she detests you."

Mitzi looked solemnly at Vycksta, slate tear stained eyes meeting hazel determined ones. When the cat gave a short, sharp nod as her response to the question the teenager jumped up in one very sudden movement, causing Mitzi to fall back on the couch.

"That fucking BITCH! How dare she do this? Oh she will pay for this... she will pay so much..."

"Demoness, mew, please calm down. It's okay..."

"No it is fucking well NOT alright! That conniving little shitbag kept you and Moe apart because her conceited, retarded self cannot keep a boyfriend of her own. About time that little bitch got her just desserts."

Right fist confidently met left palm with an almost comforting smack as Vycksta geared up a plan in her mind. Looking at Mitzi... who was now confused as to what she was going on about when she said that Pecan was going to get her "just desserts"... she knew that by putting this plan into action it would be going against that she was told to keep to herself since a certain sunshine filled day in July, but there was no other way about it. This was the only way and if it all worked out, it would be the best way.

"Mitzi-mew." Vycksta confidently proclaimed, pointing at the feline as if it was a teacher addressing her student. "I do not care how you do this, but you are going to find Moe however long it takes to find him and you are going to tell him how you feel. End of."

"But Demoness... he doesn't fancy me, mew. Pecan told..."

"You a complete bunch of bullshit." interrupted the teenager, mind now wondering what it would be like to have a live chipmunk punchbag to use whenever she had a stressful day. "Didn't you listen to what I said earlier? Pecan kept you and Moe apart by telling you horrible lies because she was bitter that you could love when she couldn't keep a man for herself. By what Courtney told me as well that one night she also did the same to Moe, because he doesn't have much confidence in himself as it is. Oooh... that little bitch heard that conversation between us in July. Damn her to Hell."

"Demoness, I am now confused, mew. What are you trying to say?" queried Mitzi in bewilderment.

"You..." Vycksta replied with ever increasing determination, noting that Michelle was sneaking out of the house with one of Volkner's prized striped shirts. "Lacked the confidence to tell Moe how you felt, giving Pecan the chance to stick in the knife to Moe and repeating it back and forth, covering it with little white lies. Something she has done since July actually, at that Bug Off... because she heard what Moe said to me that evening."

"What she did hear, mew?"

"That Moe fancies you, Mitzi."

Her little feline paws covered her mouth to stop the shock from escaping as Mitzi instantly reacted from what Vycksta had just said. She felt like she was going to cry again but she then realized two things. One, Vycksta has never lied to her since the ivory cat moved into Tiffield in February. Two, she remembered back to that one particular moment on the beach... she knew Vycksta would be her saviour somehow and this was all the proof she wanted. But first, she just had to make sure.

"Are you... serious, mew? Does Moe actually like me how I like him?"

Vycksta quickly nodded in reply. "Has done for longer actually, I only found out myself at the Bug Off when I overheard him talking to himself about you... shame Pecan also found out as well that day, but then it makes sense. Didn't Pecan really start picking on you after the Bug Off?"

Mitzi casted her memories back, remembering that the day after the Bug Off was indeed the beginning of Pecan's intensified bullying treatment. She then nodded. "Yes, yes she did... but Demoness, i'm so scared, mew."

"Don't be." the teenager quickly retorted, walking the two short steps over to Mitzi and placing her hands on the cat's shoulders. "For Moe really, really does like you Mitzi, there's no way that he'll reject you and I can promise you that."

"So what should I do, mew?"

"What I said earlier. Get out of here and find Moe, no matter how long it takes... and when you do, tell him how you feel. This time do not back down to Pecan if you see her because if you do not only will you be letting me down but you'll be letting Monique down, after all it IS still the first day of autumn."

Mitzi let out a small gasp and quickly turned her head so she was looking out of the window. Ignoring the fact that Volkner was in her view as he charged out of the house to find Michelle, she saw that yes, it is still the first day of the new season; the leaves were still cascading their elegant waltzes from their former placements down onto the rich earth below and everything was changing in front of her... and now it was her turn, now it was time for Mitzi herself to change. With that new confident thought racing in her mind Mitzi got up from the couch and turned to face Vycksta, who was now sporting an equally confident smile and had her arms folded.

"Thank you Demoness... you have really helped me out today, mew. I had a funny feeling you would and you did."

"No problem," Vycksta smiled before quickly remembering something else. "Oh, and Mitzi... there is one more thing that I need you to do for me."

"What's that, Demoness?"

"Stop living the lie."

The afternoon had now fully taken claim on the day and as a result, the sky had changed its hue from the most vibrant of blues to that of a very pale orange. This particular colour seemed to make the appearance of autumn even more appealing as it set off the trees perfectly and the leaves that chose to dance were given one the backdrop of a lifetime; a final curtain they could never forget. Various animals were outside to enjoy the latest change to the day, gossiping about it and wondering if all days could be like this... but there was definitely one animal missing out on the season's latest splendor.

Still in the same chair he was sat in when he first entered and now on this fourth cup of coffee that like the previous three was also nine parts coffee and one part tears, Moe looked around the walls of The Roost nonchalantly, wondering what was going on in the world upstairs and outside. He shuddered a little upon what he believed would be the actual instance; Rosie and Agent S laughing upon the fact that he thought he was in with a chance of being Mitzi's boyfriend, Pecan standing on the forecourt of the Town Hall acting like she was the queen of the town and Mitzi herself planning to move away after her throwing up upon what he now believed was one stupid mistake.

"Why is it always me who is picked on, myawn? What a rotten way to be..." the two-tone feline muttered to himself, taking a sip of coffee before Brewster got shirty again about leaving it to cool down.

Placing the coffee cup down with careful precision as he didn't want any attention from sounds he could make, Moe once again sighed and let a small drop of water escape his eye and create a repeated trail down his face. Wiping it away before it could collide with the coffee like the umpteen hundred tears before, the lazy minded cat developed a new train of thought. If Mitzi hated him and everyone else thinks that he's basically a moron for wanting to ask her out then there was no point in him staying in Tiffield... sure, there was Vycksta, but she was the only one with some sort of faith and respect towards him and in the end one against ten was not the best odds for someone to stick around. With a new found determination that was tainted badly with an equal amount of sorrow Moe finally got up from his chair with the hope that if he could move out within the next few days then that would only mean a maximum of three days that he would have to endure the endless amounts of teasing. A few more swigs of coffee and he set off to leave The Roost... only to find a certain ivory and slate coloured cat standing at the entrance.

"Hi there Moe."

"M-m-m-Mitzi? Woah..."

Moe was struck speechless at the sudden appearance of Mitzi; wasn't she supposed to have hated the sight of him for even thinking that he had a chance of getting her to be his girlfriend? Unless this was the moment that Mitzi stormed down the stairs like a creature possessed and slapped him senseless... Moe wondered that, but if that was the case then why was Mitzi just standing at the entrance to the old town Cafe like the most blessed, most perfect angel to descend from the Heavens, with eyes as beautiful as enchanted sapphires? The male cat could sense his cheeks starting to go crimson at the sight of such amazing beauty; the flush going even brighter when Mitzi caught him staring at her and smiled sweetly at Moe.

"She also has the smile of an angel, myawn..." simpered Moe quietly, but his voice went to nothing as Mitzi started to walk down the stairs. She went to the bar at the front and ordered "two coffees, made with the finest pigeon milk and sweet and mild to the taste" and the mind of Moe went into overdrive; what exactly was going on? If this is how someone who allegedly detests him behaves then was Tiffield a town full of complete lunatics? It caused Moe to start thinking in wayward directions...

"Hey, is this chair free, mew?"

Moe snapped out of his daydream as quickly as it started as he looked slightly dumbstruck at Mitzi, who was standing right by him holding two cups of fresh, piping hot coffee. Blinking a few times with his doe like eyes, Moe wondered if this was just a trick... but trick or not he realized, he had to apologize to Mitzi for simply being attracted to her, especially as she had brought him a cup of coffee which he could use a confidence boost.

"Yes this chair is free, but you have to sit here with me, myawn."

"Oh that's okay, I don't mind at all, mew!" came Mitzi's cheery response as she placed the cups of coffee on the table and sat down, prompting Moe to do the same.

Almost as fast as they sat down a silence soon quickly bestowed its eerie, near suffocating self upon both Moe and Mitzi but whereas the female was coping with it and happily sipping her coffee the male was starting to feel like a huge ball of nervousness... was Mitzi still planning to maul him, pour the boiling hot coffee over his head and scar him for life as a reminder of the day that he thought he had a chance? But if that was the motive then why was she acting so calm, so tranquil, so... content? Mitzi did have a bit of a dark streak but she was always one to show her true emotions...

"So maybe it is time for me to show mine more, myawn." Moe said proudly, finishing off the thought that was conjuring in his brain.

"Huh?"

"Mitzi, i'm sorry for thinking I had a chance with you, but can you blame me, myawn? You really are the prettiest, most beautiful cat I have ever seen; you are more precious to me than cola, cream tea and soup... not all at once though cause that is just horrible." Moe flushed a little upon the randomness of his last sentence but continued anyway. "Our friendship to me seemed a little closer than what you had with Monique so I thought that I did have a chance to not be so unlucky in love... but did you have to be so nasty and cruel about my feelings?"

Her eyes blinked just the once, but it was noticeable. Mitzi looked at Moe with some great concern, stirring her coffee with a spoon and sighing light-heartedly. She looked up at Moe... who was now looking ready to burst into a highly emotional flurry of tears... and smiled at him so warmly it would have been enough to melt the toughest glacier in the Arctic Ocean.

"Moe... I actually didn't throw up when I spoke to Pecan because I haven't spoken to her all day, mew."

"B-b-but... she said that..."

"Shhhhhhh..." Mitzi soothed, gently placing her paw over Moe's mouth, which made the two-tone cat blush furiously. Trying not to get embarrassed herself from how completely adorable Moe looked when he was flustered Mitzi glanced at her coffee as if it she was trying to get some encouragement from it before sighing somewhat excitedly and launching into her second explanation in the same day.

"I went to Vycksta's house this morning to speak to her about an issue I have had for a long time, mew. At the end of it she told me that what I was led to believe was a lie and that I should go for what I want because of someone being an interfering, bullying ball of spite."

"What were you told by the bully, myawn?" Moe asked meekly and somewhat muffled as Mitzi still kept her paw where it was.

"Er..." Mitzi delayed her answer for a few seconds as she didn't want to give away her motive just yet to Moe. "Basically what was said was that I was wasting my time, there was no care or attention, if I was to act on it untrue facts would be told about me... the usual that I got from Pecan, you know, mew."

Moe was completely taken back, nearly falling off his chair in shock. "You mean Pecan was also picking on you like that, myawn? She was also picking on me too... probably for a different reason than you though, myawn..." he mused before continuing. "I mean, she was a jerk and so rotten to me because of my fancying you, something that is still real... cause you know, you can't..."

"Moe, calm down, mew." Mitzi once again said in a very calm tone, cupping Moe's cheeks with her paws and using her thumbs to stroke them in a comforting, continuing circular motion... which made him more or less turn from a blue cat into a scarlet one.

"I ca-ca-can't, myawn!" the male feline protested awkwardly. "How can someone like her be so mean to both of us using the same tactics? I thought all she ever did to you was laugh at you, myawn... i'm really confused."

"Don't be." the ivory and slate cat cooed. "You see, the reason that Pecan was so mean to me was because of something that occurred to me in July after a fair few weeks denial, mew. Talking to Vycksta today made me see that she cannot hold me back much longer, she cannot bully me anymore. For once I have to act out of my character in order to beat her and Vycksta helped me see that... cause you see Moe, the reason why Pecan picked on me was because of the same reason, well, mew, switch it around obviously!" she grinned cutely.

"You mean..."

"Since July I have fancied you as well... and yes, I would love to be your girlfriend, mew."

Before Moe could squeal in ecstatic glee Mitzi moved her face closer to his so she could gently place her lips against his for a kiss. The male cat was taken aback at first as Mitzi was indeed acting a little out of character in this instance but before long he shyly kissed her back, placing his paws on her hips comfortingly. The kiss itself was one of the gentle kind; a perfectly performed waltz that continued in brilliantly timed motion... yet before long the dance was broken off by Moe, who looked a little flustered and out of breath.

"Sorry there myawn, it's just that I... er... haven't kissed before, myawn." he said with definite shyness.

"That's alright, there's plenty of time for us ahead, mew." Mitzi once again reassured him and as the two-tone cat formed a Cheshire Cat style smile at his new girlfriend, a clapping sound was heard in The Roost. Both Mitzi and Moe turned around and saw that it was Brewster, who by the looks of it had just finished off drying the fiftieth white cup.

"It's about time that he had a smile on his face, I was beginning to wonder if he was a permanent misery-guts!" the pigeon chirped.

"Ha ha, yeah, sorry about that, myawn."

"Ah don't be. I just hope that this is the start of something long lasting... for I must say, you two surely do make a good couple."

Upon Brewster's last sentence Moe could feel that ever-taunting blush creep back up on his face but Mitzi just smiled happily; for her this was indeed going to be the start of something new all around. A new boyfriend, the confidence to stand up to the bully Pecan... yes, Mitzi thought to herself, I have stopped living the lie and I hope that both Monique and Vycksta are proud of me, she finished her thinkings with another grin, looking at her watch and noting that it was still early evening and therefore, still the first day of autumn.

The next three days went by in a blur of happiness for both Moe and Mitzi as they delightfully showed off their love towards each other. As autumn firmly took a grip on nature and decorated more and more greenery in a beautiful array of crimsons and siennas the two infatuated felines found themselves enjoying kicking about the fallen leaves while holding hands, sharing a large cup of coffee together while talking all the more to Brewster... who seemed to be liking the company of them both more and more... and as the days turned to nights Moe and Mitzi would watch the sunset together on the beach, ending the day with a long, gentle kiss and a hug that could suffocate.

Of course, these actions went unnoticed by the other residents of Tiffield, who were more than happy for both of them... which was unlike what Moe was once led to believe. Rosie insisted that she must wear the prettiest dress should the two ever get married, Samson and Buck... who Mitzi thought hated her... actually gave them very hearty congratulations as well as offering Moe come advice to "beef up those muscles", Agent S finally gave Mitzi the hair tips she has been wanting off the snow white chipmunk since the beginning of summer and even Angus the generally miserable old bull seemed to display a warming smile when the two lovebirds contently walked by him one crisp, fresh morning. Yet all the happiness the animals had for both Moe and Mitzi was nothing compared to the sheer delight that one human had for them... that was the enigmatic Vycksta, who to both cats was now not a "Demoness" at all, but a "Heroine" for the rest of their days.

Yet despite it all, there was still one animal in the quaint town of Tiffield who displayed the complete opposite of emotions to every other resident in the proximity.

With her arms tightly folded across her chest and her back against the wall of the department store Nookington's in a clearly defensive manner, Pecan the hazel and almond coloured chipmunk watched both Moe and Mitzi at a distance on the Thursday evening, eyes narrowed down to slits as hatred consumed her mind. Her plan had worked so deliciously well for so long, how in the Hell could it have all gone fantastically wrong in just one day? She wondered that for the last three and a half days as she stayed indoors with the flu, seething to herself and smashing up half of her house when she heard the news from Michelle, who gave her some medicine to help her get better... but now she was better and now was the time to get bitchy again.

For the next five minutes Pecan watched the two courting felines as they stood on the forecourt of the town hall, Moe with his arms wrapped around Mitzi's waist in a protective yet comforting embrace. She could just about hear the chirpy sounds of them both giggling at something that was spoken to them by Rosie and in that instance the chipmunk's arms unfolded and her paws clenched into fists. There was no way that she could take this anymore... she wanted answers and she wanted them now. With an intense fury boiling deep inside her, Pecan started to walk towards the Town Hall with the mission to make Moe and Mitzi's lives Hell implanted firmly in her mind...

"Take another step and your face will collide with the ground."

Pecan stopped in her tracks and turned her head to the side to see who it was who had the genuine nerve to speak to her like she was freshly produced garbage. The chipmunk then growled to herself when she saw that it was Vycksta, who was standing on the corner of Nookington's with her arms on her hips in complete confidence. Another growl escaped from Pecan's lips and in one sudden movement she turned to face the pink haired teenager, pointing accusingly at her.

"YOU were behind this, weren't you, chipmunk?" Pecan hissed, trying to sound menacing.

"Of course I was..." Vycksta quickly retorted, completely unfazed by Pecan's attempt to be a bully. "I'll do it time and time again as well, for they make a brilliant couple and you know it."

A slight pause dawned upon both females as they both casted her eyes over to the Town Hall, where Moe and Mitzi, who were both holding hands and sporting huge grins, were writing something on the bulletin board. Pecan then turned back around to face Vycksta, who was still watching the two cats.

"Demoness, i'm going to split them both up and you are not going to stop me this time, chipmunk. Because if you do, i'll..."

"Tell everyone that when I was drunk I kissed Michelle? Oh go ahead sweetie pie, because everyone fucking knows that." the teenager laughed with glee which started to conjure up the feeling of fear inside Pecan. "I don't like lying at the best of times... but you, oh you are a fucking pro. You pick out the gossip and use it against everyone because you are still a bitter, jealous old hag who cannot take the fact that she lost her boyfriend. It fucked you up that badly that you used it to your advantage, gaining the trust of others in Tiffield and sticking in the knife, making them feel worse than you. It's a fucking pathetic game and i'm going to end it for you right here right now."

"Whatever, Demoness. You are just full of talk... you're just a wannabe Courtney who is upset because she's more of a bitch than you, chipmunk."

"Oh, i'm worse than Courtney." Vycksta cackled devilishly, causing Pecan to feel more than just a little unnerved. "Whereas she'll just attack you outright with her net, i'm basically like you. I don't go for the jugular, I go for your mind and fuck it up so badly you'll be wondering which shade of white you'll want your next coat to be..." she paused on purpose, slowly tapping her head with a devious grin upon her face. "Yet unlike you, my success rate is way higher."

Another short break of eerie silence graced its presence upon both Pecan and Vycksta, a low wind picking up and sending the teenager's hair blowing in awkward angles all over her face, which made the chipmunk widen her earth coloured eyes in complete and utter fear. Vycksta noticed this and cackled in a near bored tone of voice, walking over to Pecan, who was rooted to the spot out of shock and terror... and whispered in her ear.

"Get the heck out of Tiffield within the next two days or everyone will know that you were a bitch to both Moe and Mitzi because you wanted him to be YOUR boyfriend. Now not many people know that, do they?"

With a final small banshee style laugh, Vycksta walked away from Pecan and headed over to the Town Hall to join Moe and Mitzi, who were now sharing a peach together under a nearby tree. Pecan turned to watch the teenager pace herself away from the chipmunk and sighed in defeat... Vycksta was right, she did want to date Moe and by keeping them both apart she hoped that she would have a chance but when she knew that he wasn't interested in her she then turned into the bitch from Hell. Knowing that Vycksta would keep her word she quickly looked up at the star studded sky and set off in the general direction of her soon to be ex-home, but Vycksta calling out to her stopped her in her tracks.

"Oi Pecan, can you do yourself a favour as well?"

"What is that, chipmunk?" Pecan stated apathetically as Vycksta smiled, gestured at the loved-up Moe and Mitzi and then back to the chipmunk.

"Stop living the lie."


End file.
